"You are a noble person who can decide the fate of the young master. Please give me your respect..."
These words came from outside the door, which surprised Concubine Xuan, who was sitting opposite Meng Xiuyuan on the couch.
Since that night on the Tianjin Bridge, Meng Xiuyuan single-handedly defeated the four holy monks of Buddhism. His name has long been spread throughout the world, and few people in rivers, lakes, or temples know about it.
In the minds of many people, Meng Xiuyuan's status as a warrior is close to that of great masters like Ning Daoqi, Fu Cailin, and Song Que. Just saying his name is enough to make people respect him.
Under such circumstances, to still speak to Meng Xiuyuan with such an attitude, it is obvious that not only the identity of the person who came is not ordinary, but also his purpose is worthy of careful consideration.
Shi Feixuan suddenly had many speculations in her mind, and Gu Jing Wubo's face could not help but change color slightly.
"Your Excellency, just tell me what you have to say. There is no need to be mysterious."
Meng Xiuyuan himself didn't care too much. He said it calmly and calmly without any reason.
The man outside the door seemed not to have expected such an answer from Meng Xiuyuan, and seemed to have achieved the purpose of testing. In short, he paused for a moment before the voice came again:
"Mr. Meng is indeed different from ordinary people. He is a slave who makes mistakes.
His Royal Highness the Prince hosted a banquet in Shanglin Garden tonight, and invited everyone from Shang Xiufang to perform music and dance, just to entertain Mr. Meng.
I also ask the young master to be there when the time comes, so as not to betray the prince’s good intentions..."
At this point, the voice of the man outside the door stopped, and he didn't speak again.
…
At this time, the so-called Shanglin Garden in Chang'an City was not the royal garden referred to in the Han Dynasty, but one of the two most famous brothels in the world.
Princes, generals, and prominent families in Chang'an City often hold banquets and have fun here. Li Jiancheng held a banquet here to invite Meng Xiuyuan. Apart from being a little informal, it was not surprising.
Now that the other party came to the door and seemed to invite him to the appointment no matter what, Meng Xiuyuan actually did not hesitate to pay a visit to see what the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty had in mind.
His only concern was not to fall into the trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain, so that someone hiding in the dark could take advantage of his opportunity to attend the banquet and sneak attack on Shi Feixuan and Shi Qingxuan in the inn.
Therefore, before setting off, Meng Xiuyuan made thorough preparations and invited Shi Qingxuan and Shi Feixuan to his room, telling them to be on guard against sneak attacks by thieves and to take care of each other.
Shi Qingxuan's own martial arts is quite extraordinary. Although Master Fei Xuan's injuries have not healed, she still has an immortal energy left in her body by Meng Xiuyuan for her to respond to emergencies. With the two women working together, even if another powerful master attacks them, they should
They all have the ability to escape together.
Although he received a few sarcastic words from Shi Qingxuan because of this, the matter was finally arranged and Meng Xiuyuan left the inn immediately.
…
Shanglinyuan is located in the central area of Chang'an Beili. It is surrounded by vendors doing small business. It is very lively and quite easy to find.
After bypassing two popular gambling dens, you can see a quite elegant building without looking around to ask for directions.
The plain gray brick walls are matched with black glazed tiles, and there are green paintings under the eaves. The pillars and partition railings are not painted and the original color of the wood is exposed. The couplets on the columns are also made of hardwood.
The whole building is noble and elegant, full of the smell of books. If it weren't for the three words "Shanglin Garden" written on the door plaque, it would easily be mistaken for an academy or a literary studio.
Meng Xiuyuan entered through the main door. There was already a servant waiting aside, who respectfully led him to the wing with the best view at the north end of the second floor.
"The distinguished guest has finally arrived. It seems that tonight's banquet was not in vain.
Mr. Meng has been famous all over the world recently, and it seems that he is indeed well-deserved at this moment..."
The hall was already full of people, and the man who was speaking first was handsome, with deep eyes, and his appearance was similar to that of Li Shimin, so he must be the prince Li Jiancheng.
There were many people accompanying Li Jiancheng, and many of them seemed to have excellent martial arts skills. Together, they could be said to be a force that should not be underestimated.
Meng Xiuyuan could vaguely detect by relying on the spiritual sense in his heart. Although these people looked calm, they were also quite wary of him. Apparently they did not treat him as a distinguished guest.
Especially the young man with the most momentum among them, his eyes were always staring at him, and the fighting spirit in his heart was ready to come out, which was almost difficult to conceal.
"Your Majesty, you're welcome..."
Meng Xiuyuan responded with a smile, not caring about everyone's attitude at all, he just bowed his hands to Li Jiancheng and took his seat naturally.
When everyone present saw Meng Xiuyuan's performance, they couldn't help but become more nervous. It seemed that they would join forces to capture Meng Xiuyuan in the next moment. Only Li Jiancheng kept the smile on his face and greeted Meng Xiuyuan warmly.
In this way, the banquet finally began in this slightly weird atmosphere. The waiters who had been waiting for a long time appeared from behind the door, carrying delicious wine and delicacies.
Unexpectedly, the banquet held in the brothel was quite plain. There were no girls to accompany the wine and sing. Only Li Jiancheng and a group of his cronies chatted and drank with Meng Xiuyuan.
After drinking for three rounds, the atmosphere at the table relaxed slightly. Li Jiancheng finally leaned closer to Meng Xiuyuan under the influence of wine and asked casually as if he didn't care:
"Mr. Meng, I heard rumors in the world that you and my second brother Shimin have quite a friendship.
I don’t know how the people of the world are so lucky to be able to make friends with such a master as Mr. Meng..."
When Meng Xiuyuan heard that Bai's business was finally coming, he didn't want to get into more trouble with people like Li Jiancheng. He just drank the wine in the glass and immediately interrupted boldly:
"Prince, there is no need to do more testing. If you have anything to say, please just say it.
Brother Shimin and I are indeed friends, but Prince, you don't have to worry about this.
As long as your actions don't touch my bottom line, then I don't want to touch the affairs of the court.
I came to the banquet today just because I wanted to explain this matter to the prince..."
Meng Xiuyuan suddenly answered so straightforwardly, which surprised everyone present.
According to their experience, in such a situation, Meng Xiuyuan and Li Jiancheng would answer back and forth for several rounds before they gradually get to the key points. They did not expect that Meng Xiuyuan would be so direct and unwilling to make any concessions.
When Li Jiancheng heard this, his face changed slightly. He pondered for a moment before continuing:
"Mr. Meng's straightforward words are indeed refreshing.
In this case, I won't talk nonsense anymore.
I heard that the young master sold the He family jade, which is of great concern to the world, to the people for a few taels of gold and silver. This is very different from what the young master said, "I don't want to touch the affairs of the court."
I think there must be another special deal behind this to impress you.
Could you please reveal the bargaining chips so that I can join the competition?
If there is a price to pay for being friends with Mr. Meng, then I, Li Jiancheng, am willing to listen..."
Li Jiancheng's words were extremely sincere, and he obviously really wanted to pay some price to win Meng Xiuyuan away from Li Shimin.
Meng Xiuyuan could feel his sincerity and could understand why he said this, but in the end he couldn't help but smile and shake his head:
"No need, Your Highness.
Thank you for your hospitality today. I have finished what I want to say and will not interrupt you any more..."
At this point, Meng Xiuyuan put down the wine glass in his hand and was about to leave the table.
Li Jiancheng's face became increasingly ugly when he saw this, but he still refused to give up and added:
"Since Mr. Meng knows that I am the prince, he should understand that the price I can give you in the future is something that the people of the world will never be able to give you.
The people present at today's banquet are all my confidants. My words and deeds will never reach the ears of the people of the world.
In this case, why couldn't Mr. Meng make his wish clear?
Whether the young master wants to establish a sect and become famous all over the world, or he wants to secretly have martial arts and inherit them from various sects, I can provide a better condition..."
Meng Xiuyuan smiled when he heard this and stood up immediately, not wanting to talk to Li Jiancheng any more.
But just as he was about to leave, a figure suddenly snatched out from beside Li Jiancheng and stopped in front of him:
"My Majesty, I have met Mr. Meng."
Meng Xiuyuan looked closely, and saw that it was the young man who was the most eager to challenge him in the crowd. Now when he looked carefully, he realized that his appearance was quite characteristic of the northern nomads.
"What do you mean?"
Meng Xiuyuan asked calmly.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince kindly invited Mr. Meng to the banquet. Why should the young master leave in such a hurry?
Shang Xiu Fang Shang will be here soon. If you miss her performance, it will be a regret in your life.
If Mr. Meng feels bored and tired of staying here, why not let me spend some time with Mr. Meng as an entertainment to pass the time..."
Although Ke Zhi's words were polite, his eyes were staring at Meng Xiuyuan like a wolf with an aggressive aura.
Meng Xiuyuan chuckled at the sight, ignoring the ambition in front of him, and turned to look at Li Jiancheng aside, waiting for what he would say.
When Li Jiancheng saw this, he laughed and said to Meng Xiuyuan:
"Kakashi said it right. Since Mr. Meng is here, why bother to leave in a hurry? If anything happens, we can sit down and talk slowly.
Inviting everyone from Shang Xiufang to Shang Xiufang to perform is not an easy task. This banquet is specially set up for Mr. Meng. It would be a pity if Mr. Meng did not see it.
Kodazhi comes from the Eastern Turks and is regarded as the number one master in our Donglin Army. He shocked Mobei with his self-created "Kung Sand Sword Technique" and was praised by the Martial Lord Bi Xuan as the number one among the younger generation.
In the past battles, none of the generals of Shimin's Tiance Mansion could be his opponent, so it was barely appropriate for him to entertain Mr. Meng.
Let me tell you, if we don't harm our harmony, we should use three moves as a boundary.
If within three moves, Ke Kezhi can keep up with Master Meng, how about Master Meng staying here and drinking two more glasses of wine?"
When Meng Xiuyuan heard this, he couldn't help but frown slightly. He looked at Ke Zhi in front of him for a moment and suddenly said:
"Looking at your breath, I can see that you are rebellious and quite conceited by nature.
Why would a Turk like you be willing to surrender to the Han people of the Tang Dynasty?
I wonder if there is any hidden secret in this?"
As soon as Meng Xiuyuan said this, everyone present, including Li Jiancheng, changed their expressions.
"Master Meng doesn't have to worry about my affairs.
But I don’t know if the young master is nagging like this because he is afraid of me?
If this is really the case, then Mr. Meng does not need to take action. He can just wait until everyone arrives and dance with her.
It's just a pity that I heard that your swordsmanship is like a god, and I wanted to use it to hone my sword..."
Kakashi said in a low voice, obviously intending to provoke Meng Xiuyuan to take action and to change the subject.
Meng Xiuyuan looked at Ke Zhi's face, and then at Li Jiancheng, who had a slightly complicated expression on the side, and knew that there must be another complicated reason for this matter.
But even if he asked again, the other party would obviously not reveal any more, and Meng Xiuyuan simply did not want to pay attention to these trivial matters:
"Okay, I don't know who instructed you behind the scenes to test my martial arts skills.
But since you insist, it doesn't matter if we live on both sides.
It's just that if only the two of us were involved in something like this, it would be less interesting.
I see that all the generals here have been staring at me since the banquet, and they are all eager to try, so how about I give you a chance?"
As he spoke, Meng Xiuyuan glanced at the commander, Lin Jun, and the other experts, causing their expressions to change drastically.